Daa – which operates both Dublin and Cork airports – has confirmed passenger numbers at Dublin Airport will exceed the 32 million annual capacity cap this year, and will in fact be more than 33 million in total.
While Daa previously warned the passenger limit would be exceeded this year, its latest update said this year’s guest total would have even been higher than it will be if the Authority had not taken “the necessary measures” to dampen airline demand and comply with the passenger cap.
Daa said it has just seen the busiest ever November for both Dublin and Cork airports – with a combined 2.5 million passengers using them; 2.3 million of which were at Dublin Airport.
In the first 11 months of this year, Dublin Airport welcomed 31 million passengers.
Cork Airport, meanwhile, enjoyed another stellar month in November as it welcomed 201,000 passengers– which was 5% more than November 2023 and Cork continues to be Ireland’s fastest growing airport in 2024.
Cork Airport is set to get even busier in the months ahead following the announcement of a string of new routes and additional services, including a brand-new summer 2025 service operated by TUI between Cork Airport and Dalaman in Turkey, and a beefed-up Air France schedule between Cork and Paris.
Additional flights between Cork and Bristol and Edinburgh have also been announced for the Six Nations rugby in the early part of 2025, picking up demand that Dublin Airport is not able to accommodate due to the passenger cap.
While daa wants to continue to grow Dublin Airport in line with population growth and its mandate to ensure Ireland has global connectivity, it said it is obliged to do everything it can to dampen demand for travel due to the 32 million cap.
This includes asking the High Court to review the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) allocation of slots for the winter 2024/25 season. The High Court hearing on this and the summer slots decision starts today. Daa said it is encouraged by the High Court’s initial indication that decisions around the passenger cap and how it relates to slot allocations would best be considered by the European Court of Justice.
Commenting on the November numbers, daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: “It was another strong month at both Dublin and Cork airports – which highlights the huge demand that’s there to fly to and from Ireland and I want to thank our teams at home for their outstanding contribution. But just as it was in October, growth at Dublin Airport was more subdued in November than it could have been as daa dampens demand and airlines continue to hold back on routes and additional services due to the cap.
“The importance of resolving the cap issue was highlighted by the main parties in the recent general election and we look forward to working with the new government on the issue. The High Court’s indication last week that decisions regarding the passenger cap and slot allocations should be referred to the European Court of Justice is also encouraging and underscores the complexities involved.
“In the meantime, daa continues to make every effort to uplift the cap through the planning process. Last month we submitted more than 7,000 pages of additional information requested by Fingal County Council to help its planning team decide on daa’s Infrastructure Application, which would see the passenger cap lifted to 40 million passengers a year along with critical infrastructure projects. We also continue to explore a no build planning application to raise the cap to 36 million without building.
“Ultimately, we will need to find a solution to the situation in which Ireland’s main gateway is artificially constrained, with all the negative knock-on effects for jobs, the economy, tourism and connectivity. daa welcomes all efforts that can achieve this outcome as quickly as possible.
“Our international businesses, ARI and daa International, are performing strongly too on both the duty-free and airport management side – thanks to the brilliant efforts of our teams – and we see very good opportunities to grow both these businesses in the coming years.”
